What we can learn from Nelson Mandela: Letters

He was sent away, but he didn’t go away. What demands more attention is how hard it is to imprison what someone stands for.

— Tony Peyser, Altadena

Criminal class of the upper congressional house

Michael Shelden’s “Mark Twain: Man in White,” the grand adventures of his final years, is a must read for all who love the legendary writer/humorist. Especially relevant is his tongue lashing of the two thieves arrested and detained for stealing precious silverware from his country estate.

“Don’t you see where you’re drifting to?” he asked. “They’ll send you from here down to Bridgeport jail, and the next thing you know, you’ll be in the United States Senate. There’s no other future left open for you.”

— Bob Ginn, Arcadia

Pit bulls don’t call the societal shots; people do

I agree with Pasadena Councilman Steve Madison that all pit bulls (I detest that moniker, and would like to see them called by their real breed name, American bull terrier, or ABT) should be spayed or neutered, but not for the same reason.

In my opinion, just about all dogs and cats should be spayed and neutered, until there are no such things as impound facilities. The pounds (I would not call them “shelters”) are always chock-full of pit bulls, and it’s not because they aren’t killing them at a high rate. It is because of the idiots who are breeding them for all the wrong reasons, and a lot of abuse ensues from it, too.

Also, although there may be an isolated dog-fighting bust here or there around the country, the scum who torture these dogs for their own blood lust, love of violence and gambling, are pretty much left to their own devices. I’d like to see those who want to hate the dogs redirect their scorn to those who are really responsible. Dogs don’t run things; dogs don’t call the shots.

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— Sue Marston, Ventura

What has happened to knowing Pearl Harbor Day?

American flags should be flying as I write this on Pearl Harbor Day — Dec. 7 — a date that will go down in infamy as said by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Japan declared war on the United States by bombing Pearl Harbor in a sneak attack and Italy and Germany joined them soon after. One hundred million people from more than 30 different countries served in military units as allies to the United States. We fought hard, we fought long, we could not be defeated. Cemeteries around the world hold thousands of our military heroes who fell during this time. This is one of the biggest days in American history. And the newspaper didn’t mention it on this day. Even more heartbreaking is my neighbor, upon seeing my flag flying, asked what holiday this is.

— Sally Wieck, Baldwin Park

Why has Kelly Thomas case been so prolonged?

It astonishes me that the Kelly Thomas court case is so prolonged. Being a Fullerton college student, it sickens me to know that something so horrific can happen so close to where I studied. I know the judicial system has its civil process to uphold, but it seems ridiculous to have experts examine the cause of death. The cause of death is obvious. If Tasing a helpless man in the face and crushing him until suffocation isn’t obvious enough, I don’t know what is. It is nauseating to know that the court must know the “real” cause of death, and examine in detail what could have caused Mr. Thomas to die in a Fullerton parking lot. Even if the cause of death was due to heart complication with Mr. Thomas, it does not justify the beating he sustained.